


Stronger Than She Knows

by immortalpramheda



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dark Rey (Star Wars), F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), One Shot, Possession, Speculation, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 19:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20458022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immortalpramheda/pseuds/immortalpramheda
Summary: Rey has been possessed by a dark force and it all culminates in an epic lightsaber duel.





	Stronger Than She Knows

**Author's Note:**

> Speculation about the lightsaber duel in The Rise of Skywalker trailer.

Cold energy pulsates through Ben’s veins making him to shiver. His hands are sweaty as he walks across the cracked ground. He can see the faint glow of her lightsaber through the misty air and the waves crashing violently around her as she awaits his arrival.

She’s not dressed in black head to toe as she was in his vision, there is no red glow illuminating her face. She seems like herself but he knows it’s all act. Trying to get him close so she can end him. But he can sense what is going on inside. She’s there but she’s not. _He’d_ gotten to her, the same way _he_ almost got to him.

It was only because he let the light seep through, which was thanks to her, that he was no longer a viable option. That’s where she came in. _He_ took advantage of that darkness inside her. He doesn’t blame her - he understands how tempting it is, how easy it is to let the darkness consume you.

When he saw that vision when as their hands were connected, he assumed she would turn for him. That she’d accept his offer to rule the galaxy together. But he’d never even stopped to consider she’d turn for the person who had destroyed his family. He should have been actively trying to prevent it from happening, instead he was sidetracked with the _petty _wars going on up in space. That was something he felt immense guilt about. None of it would be worth it if she’s gone.

He ignites his lightsaber, the buzzing of the blade muffled through the sound of the waves, as he walks out onto the wreckage. She swings her lightsaber around in a move he knows well, one she learnt from him. He feels a rush of relief go through him - that means she’s still in there.

He can see her clearly now, right there in front of him. She looks like herself, she fights like herself. But it doesn’t fool him.

There is pure rage in her eyes as she lifts her lightsaber up with both hands. He instinctively moves into a defensive stance, lifting his lightsaber up and blocking her attack. He forces her back and yet she almost overpowers him. Their blades clash again, and again, a dance in the gloomy light.

“Rey,” he yells, the roaring sea drowning out his voice. He keeps his lightsaber in front of him, prepared for her next attack.

She lowers hers and takes a step back, an unsettling grin on her face. A look that is not her own. “It’s over young Skywalker.”

With that, she hauls her lightsaber back, steady in her strong arms, and then slams it back down, clashing with his in a blinding spark of light. Even if they were both fighting their hardest, they wouldn’t be able to overpower the other. They were equals. But he was holding back because he didn’t want to hurt her. He was trying to only use defensive moves, blocking her attacks rather than attacking first. But this is was what _he _had anticipated. Taking advantage of their feelings towards one another. But _he_ underestimated how deep their bond ran.

Their lightsabers push up against one another, using the extent of both their abilities. He looks into her eyes. There is darkness in them, but he can still see a glint of light. “Rey,” he tries again.

Her eyes flutter for moment as they focus on him, and for a second he believes he might get through. But then that smirk that is not her own appears again, and her eyes flare like he’s never seen before. She pulls her lightsaber down and uses an uppercut manoeuvre.

He’s prepared for that and blocks it, pinning her lightsaber under his. She’s trapped, for now. “Rey, you’re stronger than you know. You can _fight_ this.”

He feels a racing heartbeat rush through as she escapes from his grasp and takes a few steps back. “Give in Skywalker. You’re _weak_ just like your grandfather,” she says, seething. “Your empathy will be your downfall.”

Those words hit him hard but he refuses to let them affect him. He can’t risk letting his emotions get the better of him in a moment like this.

She swings her arms down again and pushes forcefully on his lightsaber which he holds in place.

“If you give in then she lives,” she spits at him, sparks flying in front of her face.

“No!” he says hoarsely. He musters up as much strength as he can and pushes her back. “I _won’t_ let you win. You’ve already taken enough from me.”

Rey shakes her head and rolls her shoulders, planting her feet firmly on the ground ready for her next attack. She uses a different move this time, but still one he was expecting. He blocks her but lets down his defences slightly when he sees her eyes. They look like hers — could it be?

A look of horror appears on her face, shocked at what she’s doing. She pulls back slightly.

“Rey?” he breathes.

Those eyes are her own and that look is one she’s looked at him with countless times. But there is something different. Something desperate. “Kill me,” she begs. “_Please._”

That was not an option. That was something he could never do. After everything they’ve been through, after everything she did for him. She was the person who changed his life. The person who _saved_ him. He wasn’t going to give up on her.

He pushes her lightsaber down so he can see her face clearly. “Rey,” he whispers. “You _can_ fight this.”

In the blink of an eye her demeanour changes and that unsettling smirks once again appears on her face.

Caught up in the possibility that she’d broken through, he’d loosened the grip on his lightsaber. Now his stance was weakened and as he tries to gain control, he feels a white hot sizzling pain zap through his body.

He looks down and her lightsaber is lodged right through his chest. He looks up to her in a daze and sees nothing but darkness in her eyes.

His lightsaber crashes to the ground as his fingers unravel. He’s too weak to call it back. He collapses to the ground, his breathing beginning to slow down.

Everyone was right. He was weak. Not powerful enough to stop this. He’s always tried to prove everyone wrong but it seems they were all right after all. This is who he always was. A failure. A problem. Worthless. The galaxy would be better off without him.

His vision starts to blur as he struggles to crane his neck up to take one last look at her. At least she’ll be the last thing he sees.

“Ben,” he hears faintly.

He lets himself drift off in a state of bliss. She broke through. She was back. It was all worth it.

He’d never known what to expect in death. What had happened to his father after he fell to his death had haunted him since that fateful night. Darkness. Black. Nothingness. That was what he expected. And he was right. That’s all there was after death for someone like him.

But suddenly, something appears. White light. A flash of energy. It feels like he’s been electrocuted by a thousand volts. His body convulses and his surroundings come into view. He begins heaving deep breaths into his lungs. He can breathe again. How can he _breathe_?

Then he hears her voice, faint, but clear as day to him. “Ben. I’m sorry.”

A blurry shape appears in his field of view. A silhouette he’d recognise anywhere. “Rey,” he says, barely audible.

“Ben?” she whispers in a state of disbelief. A cold hand on his cheek, then on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat. She wraps her arms around his body and sobs into his shoulder.

“How am I here?” he asks, as she comes clearly into view. He can’t see anything else, nothing else mattered anyway. Only her.

“The Force,” she says.

He lets some tears escape as he runs his hand weakly down her scar covered arm. “I knew you could fight him,” he says through fractured breaths.

She helps him sit upright as his eyes focus on hers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I let him manipulate me…”

He weakly takes her hand, comforting her, letting her know it’s not her fault. Then he dares to ask the most important question. “Is he gone?”

Rey squeezes his hand between both of hers, holding tight, afraid he’ll leave her at any moment. “I can’t feel his influence anymore. Can you?”

He takes a moment to concentrate. That feeling that has been there for as long as he can remember, that lingering darkness on the edge of his veins. That feeling he’d become so accustomed to that he thought was normal since he didn’t know anything different. It wasn’t there anymore. He felt free.

“He’s gone,” he says, and he knows it to be true.

Rey begins to sob again, nodding her head fast trying to come to terms with all that had happened. She wipes the hair off his forehead and moves her face close to his.

He knows what she’s feeling, he feels it too. But that doesn’t stop his heart from racing at what he knows is about to happen.

Her lips meet his and an unspeakable force awakens in both of them. Their power combined as one, more powerful than anything they could possibly comprehend. It seems to emanate from them and throughout everything near and far. An otherworldly force that was contained in the both of them being set free.

When they pull apart, Rey smiles at him and wordlessly holds her hand out. He stares back at her, still not quite sure whether this is real. But deep down he knew it was. Because it _felt_ real in every essence of the word.

She didn’t need to say anything, he knew what this gesture meant. A promise that things will be better from now on.

He smiles back and takes her hand as tightly as he can in his weakened state. She helps him up carefully, his body aching all over. He unsteadily stands up, relying on her to keep him stable.

There was something different in the air. Something they couldn’t quite make sense of. Something that had never been felt for as long as life had existed. The waves had stopped crashing, the sea was calm. The clouds had dissipated and the sun washes warmth over them.

All felt right in the galaxy.


End file.
